Best breakfast spots in America

Nov. 17, 2010

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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The Original Pantry Cafe is a downtown Los Angeles landmark. Opened in 1924, the pantry is now owned by former L.A. mayor Richard Riordan. The pantry serves hungry diners 24 hours a day. COURTESY OF PATRICK CATES

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Mama Dip's Kitchen in Chapel Hill, N.C., is famous for its country cooking. Try the sweet-potato biscuits. LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Mama Dip's Kitchen in Chapel Hill, N.C., has been serving country cooking since 1976. LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Seattle's Athenian Inn, with its classic red vinyl counter stools, is located in Pike Place Market. Breakfast - with views of Puget Sound - is served all day. COURTESY OF CHRISTINA SAULL

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Doughnut holes are one of the many breakfast treats offered at Lou Mitchell's in Chicago. COURTESY OF SADALIT VAN BUREN

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Lou Mitchell's neon sign welcomes diners. The business was started in 1923 and is a Chicago institution. COURTESY OF JEFF STVAN

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A plate of cornbread is ready for diners at Mama Dip's in Chapel Hill, N.C. JULI LEONARD, THE NEWS & OBSERVER

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Owner Paul Leuenberger, left, and cashier Harvey Lamb stand in the pantry, a on the fringe of downtown Los Angeles in this Feb. 5, 1975 photo. The restaurant, which opened in 1924, is now owned by former L.A. mayor Richard Riordan. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan drinks a cup of coffee outside of his restaurant "The Original Pantry Cafe," on one of his final days in office in this June 29, 2001 photo. DAMIAN DOVARGANES, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Perly's is a favorite stop for breakfast. It's all about the biscuits at this Richmond, Va., eatery. COURTESY OF PERLY'S

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The Athenian Inn at Pike Place Market, the scene is dark, quiet and dry. A seat at the counter or a spot overlooking Puget Sound are a great place to enjoy breakfast. KEN LAMBERT, THE SEATTLE TIMES

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Diners take advantage of the friendly waitresses and cozy feel of the It's Tops Fountain Coffee Shop on Market Street near Octavia Street. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A sidewalk dining table sits in front of a table scene depicted in a mural on the outside wall of the East Village Ukranian restaurant Veselka. A breakfast favorite: challah bread French toast and a side of kielbasa. KATHY WILLENS, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Original Pantry Cafe is a downtown Los Angeles landmark. Opened in 1924, the pantry is now owned by former L.A. mayor Richard Riordan. The pantry serves hungry diners 24 hours a day. COURTESY OF PATRICK CATES

Your mom, and the government, say it’s the most important meal of the day. But for travelers, breakfast is often an afterthought, something to be microwaved at the chain motel morning buffet or scarfed from a doughnut or bagel shop.

Breaking away for a local breakfast is one of the best ways to experience the real food of regions across the U.S. Here are a few of my favorite spots from years of mornings croaking “coffee, please” on the road.

Perly's, Richmond, Va.: It’s all about the biscuits at Perly’s. Eggs are great. Bacon is great. Southern (salty) ham is good. Pancakes are great. But the biscuits. What is it about the South that can turn out these little white lumps of heaven with a golden top like nowhere else? 111 E Grace St. 804-649-2779

Mama Dip's, Chapel Hill, N.C.: It's almost worth becoming a Tarheel just to be able to go to Mama Dip's whenever you want for sweet-potato biscuits and grits for breakfast. Mama Dip is the nickname for Mildred Council, 81, who started cooking in local homes in 1939 and eventually opened her own place. The restaurant's slogan is "Put a taste of the South in your mouth." 408 W. Rosemary St.; mamadips.com or 919-942-5837.

Duran's Central Pharmacy, Albuquerque, N.M.: You can get your nasal spray or deodorant up front, but most of the people coming in are heading toward the restaurant in back. The breakfast special is cheese enchiladas topped with a fried egg. You'll find plenty of Mexican specialties here, along with the usual "American" breakfast regulars. 1815 Central Ave. NW, Old Town. 505-247-4141

The Original Pantry, Los Angeles: The landmark downtown diner is owned by former mayor Richard Riordan. It's a leftover of Raymond Chandler-era Los Angeles and is beloved by everyone from Lakers fans heading to Staples Center to working guys at the counter. It's primarily a steak spot, so mornings are meaty, too. You can eat here any time: the Pantry brags, "We never close." 877 S. Figueroa St.; pantrycafe.com or 213-972-9279.

It's Tops Coffee Shop, San Francisco: Like a lot of great travel finds, I stumbled on this place when I got very lost driving too far up Market Street one morning. I saw this 1935-vintage, blue and white, art deco sign and had to pull over. Inside the cramped, colorful diner were huge, fluffy pancakes, bacon waffles and strong coffee. In a town with more than its share of overpriced, chic eateries, Top's is so out of it, it's in again. 1801 Market St.; 415-431-6395

Athenian Inn, Seattle: Pike Place Market is tourist central, but there are still a few old spots tucked into the place from the days before Starbucks opened its first store across the street. Enjoy a big plate of eggs and bacon while gazing out picture windows at the ships plying Puget Sound. Come any time – breakfast is served all day. 1517 Pike Place Market; athenianinn.com or 206-624-7166.

Lamb's Grill Cafe, Salt Lake City: The Salt Lake Tribune skipped out of the neighborhood, but the oldest restaurant business in Utah still holds down the block. Lamb's has been drawing them in since 1919, serving tasty omelets and pancakes. Look for the 1920s sign proclaiming "Trout and Chicken Dinners," another promising "Quality, Service, Sanitation." Diners at the back tables eat under a portrait of George Washington. 169 S. Main St.; lambsgrill.com or 801-364-7166.

Lou Mitchell's, Chicago: The King of Cholesterol sits near Union Station, so you have a bit of a trek. You'll know you are there when you see the line out the door under the ancient but beautiful neon sign. The staff still sometimes hands out small boxes of Milk Duds to those in line. Breakfast is fried double-yoke eggs and coffee with real cream in thick, 1950s-style mugs. 565 W. Jackson; loumitchellsrestaurant.com or 312-939-3111.

Veselka, New York City: Manhattan is to breakfast what Epcot Center is to world travel – a way to visit an American version of other lands without leaving home. My favorite is the Veselka, which boasts it sells "Ukrainian soul food" in the heart of the East Village. Tuck yourself into a table underneath a 1930s-style mural of New York. I go for the challah bread French toast and a side of juicy kielbasa. 144 Second Ave.; veselka.com or 212-228-9682

Green's Pharmacy, Palm Beach, Fla.: This pharmacy coffee shop is an antidote to the soaking-rich scene and attitude that radiates from The Breakers hotel nearby. Well off the beach, Green's has a black-and-white checkerboard floor and a formica-topped counter. You'll eat pigs in a blanket and hash browns served just beyond shelves full of Dixie cups, Tylenol and Band-Aids. If your stomach can handle it, try one of the legendary rich milkshakes – there are antacids for sale a few steps away. 151 N. County Road; 561-832-0304

Do you have a favorite breakfast spot in the U.S.? E-mail Travel Editor Gary Warner at travel@ocregister.com, or go online to ocregister.com/travel and add it to the list at bottom of this story.

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